


Left Panel of a Triptych

by divisiblebyfour



Category: Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Non-Linear Narrative, sometimes when sniping a teenager you are actually sniping your bf's last bit of morality, spoilers for chap 159
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25566364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divisiblebyfour/pseuds/divisiblebyfour
Summary: "Is there anyone you want to track down and see if we can wake up?" He asks Xeno on a cool morning in the halls of the castle they've built on the stony remains of the end of the world.
Relationships: Ishigami Senkuu & Dr. Xeno, Stanley Snyder & Dr. Xeno, Stanley Snyder & Ishigami Senkuu
Comments: 5
Kudos: 84





	Left Panel of a Triptych

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to make zero sense if you aren't caught up (chap 159) with the manga. Current timeline in italics, past not in italics.

"Is there anyone you want to track down and see if we can wake up?" He asks Xeno on a cool morning in the halls of the castle they've built on the stony remains of the end of the world.

* * *

There is a book titled _Beginner's Guide to Japanese_ lying on Xeno's desk in his apartment. Xeno doesn't bother learning things that he thinks are useless to him, so the book is a bit of a mystery, as any research paper his friend would be interested in would likely have an English translation. Or hell, even if it was esoteric enough to be untranslated, Xeno had the connections at Nasa to hire a translator.

They didn't bother keeping secrets, not from each other at least, so he picks the book up and presents it to Xeno. "Thinking of going east for a little vacation?" Neither of them have been on a real holiday in years.

Xeno smiles. His eyes shine. For a second, Stanley is years younger and has no blood on his hands. Xeno explains, "A new colleague I'm interested in collaborating with. He's doing his best with English, but I thought I would pull my weight from the other direction."

* * *

Xeno smiles, his eyes don't crinkle at the corner but widen like they want to swallow all he sees. "I've got you, so I don't need anyone specific. We could do with more manpower , but it's not urgent. If you're asking about someone I'd like to see..."

* * *

They don't keep secrets, at least from each other, but his good doctor does like a joke. Which is to say, he tells Stan all about Dr. Senku

_He is younger than Xeno, they met when he reached out to Nasa for advice._

_He is a genius, not affiliated with any government or corporation, yet still designing a rocket with more success than some white-coats with millions in grants._

_"Give him half a decade or so and he'll at least be my equal" says Xeno._

Well, Stanley might be a bit jealous of this hot-shot. He can get his ego-maniac doctor to admit that he needs Stan, but he's never heard Xeno call even the top of his field his equal intellectually. Xeno waits till he's wound up enough to reach for a cigarette before telling him that dear Dr. Senku has just had his 11th birthday.

* * *

... I want to show off a bit to Senku eventually."

* * *

_There are radio waves that Xeno did not make, coming from a ship that Xeno did not build._

* * *

_"_ Of course, I'd like to be a bit more prepared before that."

"Because a trip to Japan would be a pain in the ass, or because you want to build a bit more so that you can really wow your little protege?"

* * *

Xeno shows Stan quite a few of his communications with Senku over the years. Not that he understands more than every other word, even when they write in English. He likes the kid's style though, being that he readily admitted to several felonies in his opening letter.

Xeno always lights up when he's writing to the kid too. His eyes shine with sort of simple joy that makes Stan remember summertimes setting off bottle-rockets and lying in the grass while his best friend explained to him how planes stayed in the sky. Simple joys are no longer what he or his friend pursue.

* * *

_The boat they didn't build is full of people, at least as many as he and Xeno have, and they are all so, so young._ _He relays this to Xeno and gets back information eavesdropped over radio, they are speaking Japanese and here looking for the yellow-dent corn._

_Xeno gives him the go to shoot. He hasn't felt guilt over killing, even targets younger than these teenagers, in a long time, but an unease settles in his stomach._

* * *

"Well those are both certainly factors, however that main reason is that as elegant as Senku's thought process is in regards to physics and engineering..."

* * *

"I met Senku's father today, he is one of the people here from JAXA." Xeno tells him over lunch one day.

"Did you challenge him to a science-showdown for custody?" Stan asks, and promptly gets his right shin kicked. "Wait, if his dad's an astronaut why was the kid emailing random strangers questions about his illegal rocket when he was 10, instead of just bothering his dad?"

"Byakuya Ishigami" Xeno lectures "while possessing excellent team management skills and passable grasp of robotics and physics was likely surpassed by Senku intellectually when the child was 12 and surpassed in knowledge of rocket-science at even younger than 10. While I have no doubt that the man will do an admirable job as an astronaut, he is nowhere near intelligent enough to mentor Senku."

"So you're relieved that you're still the ultimate authority on rockets in your science pseudo-son's heart?" Stan asks, and promptly gets his left shin kicked. Since Xeno didn't kick the same shin twice, he'll take that as a yes.

* * *

_The little spy they captured tells them their target is Dr. Taiju, and Xeno orders a hit. So that means unease or no unease, Dr. Taiju is going to die._

* * *

" ... Senku tends towards the idealistic in terms of world-view. I'd only want to revive him after crushing any potential opposition."

* * *

_Luna is mouthing something in his direction, which is giving away his position (the moron). Her little hanger-on, the white one currently manning their radio, sounds out "Sen-ku?"_

* * *

" You know, Senku's the one that first clued me in to the stone swallows, so in a way we owe him our lives."

For just a second, Xeno's eyes shine, "Who knows, maybe we can even build a rocket together once we wake him up."

* * *

_"You sure you want him dead?"_

_"Yes. Do it."_

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> So fic with xeno that only uses the word "elegant" once, probably should have put an OOC tag on it, lol.
> 
> Anyone else wonder why Senku didn't just ask Byakuya for rocket advice? I figured that it wasn't really his specialty, but like what is Byakuya's degree in? I just guessed it was either physics and/or robotics based on what we could see of his classroom and Rei from Reboot.  
> Other note, I did mean to do write Byakuya Ishigami instead of Ishigami Byakuya. Most exchange students or foreign language teachers I've met will introduce themselves with the English name order while abroad.
> 
> Anyway, I really liked writing in Stan' pov. Let me know in the comments if the fic made no sense/was hard to understand. I haven't written a story in a long while and my dumbass decided to jump back in with a fic with three separate timelines. Thanks for reading!


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